“Investing in nature and using nature as a natural border control is necessary and it actually increases biodiversity. It’s a win on two fronts. I visited Poland and Finland. They converted the border area into a more inhospitable nature, leaving bushes and trees there. Then it’s not so easy to cross the border,” said Roswallová in an interview.
In addition to restoring forested and scrubby areas, Roswall also emphasized the defensive importance of wetlands. “It is very difficult for large tanks to drive through them,” said the European Commissioner, who has long called on states to perceive nature as a means of defense.
The European Commissioner for the Environment did not mention whether, in the event of the implementation of her proposal, it would be more difficult to monitor and defend this territory.
In addition to being a barrier against invasion, nature provides a key component of food and water supplies in the event of conflict. “We have to invest in nature. Water is the most obvious example. If we don’t have water, we don’t have security. Look at Ukraine. Investing in infrastructure and protecting it is key,” Roswall said, referring to Russian attacks on Ukraine’s water infrastructure.
According to the European Commissioner, several parts of Europe are already in a state of “water crisis”, but she identified the state of European water due to pollution as a bigger problem. “When you look at pollution and water quality, we have a problem across Europe. We are at a point where we really need to focus on water. We need to work together not only on water shortages, but also on water quality,” said Roswall.
